I found a lump and I'm scared...

ShutterBug77
ShutterBug77 Member Posts: 3
edited March 2014 in Emotional Support #1
January 29 I just happen to rub my neck and noticed a large hard painless lump on the left side about the size of a quarter. Two days proir to this finding I had an extremely stuffy nose which lasted about 5 days..no mucous, no headache..basically no other sypmtoms except a very uncomfortable stuffy nose and then this lump. I went to the doctor and he said it's probably an infection somewhere, possibly Mono (but I had no sore throat)..did some blood work and a week later everything came back normal and NEG for Mono..no infection anywhere. Also during that week the lump had decreased down to about the size of a pea and was soft not hard. Doctor said that this was good but he scheduled me for an Ultrasound on my neck to check for a growth..I go Feb. 21 and I get the results back on the 24th. Now 3 days ago I started to get a sore throat..I knew I was coming down with a cold because my husband and my 3 yr old were just getting over it. Yesterday my Lymph Node has increased again back to the size it was before and hard again.

I don't understand why I have this lump unless it is...cancer. My doctor said it's probably a bug that is affecting my system but this doesn't make sense because everything I've searched on the internet about swollen lymph nodes indicate infection or cancer, and infection has already been ruled out by the blood tests and being that it is painless rises the concern of it being cancer too.

My husband is going insane with all of this because he lost his mother 7 years ago to breast cancer..she was 47. He didn't take it very well and now with this he is just worried.

The weird thing about this is for about a couple of months I had this odd feeling inside of me that something wasn't right and that I should go to the doctor but I didn't because what a stupid reason to go see the doctor with no symptoms other than just "a feeling"!.

I know my best bet is just to relax and wait but it is very hard to do and I know I'm probably jumping the gun here but the waiting and not knowing is just killing me.

if it is cancer what the heck kind of cancer would it be? I searched through Google for more info about the possibility of what cancer and came up with Hodgkins or the Non-Hodgkins type. I am just 27 with 2 kids..10yr old boy & a 3yr old girl...I'm too young for this!

Thanks.

Comments

  • jcbeenthere
    jcbeenthere Member Posts: 19
    #2
    I have had 3 primary cancers and only2 of them were found/discovered by me...the 3rd(breast cancer)was operated on 1 1/2mo after a PETscan which showed negative for tumors. Mytumor was 1.5cm,(large!!) I had had a mammo in April, negative, and I foundthe tumor in Oct. The moral of this story is,PLEASE, FOLLOW through and be in charge of your medical treatment. I am now negative for cancer, again, and I thank god. I wish you good health and hang in there. The survival rate of almost all cancers has increased at amazing rates. You cando it.
  • ShutterBug77
    ShutterBug77 Member Posts: 3
    #3
    okay I received my Ultrasound results yesterday and it looks good!..my lymph node was only 6mm, dr said no need for a biopsy and it is swollen due to a virus of some sort but he did tell me not to ignore it, he said to check it every once in a while and if it changes in size or if i get swollen nodes in my armpits or groin area to come back for further testing. But he also said that if I'm getting sick a lot to come back and he'll get a surgeon to remove the lymph node to find out what virus it is so I can be treated.

    Well I'm fine now, not sick and hopefully I won't have to go through this again! and my lymph node stays the same..he also told me that my node may never go back down to normal size usually from scarring.

    I walked out of the office with some sort of relief but not completely relieved..probably because I was hoping I would get a "this is what it is" not a "probably a virus but keep an eye on it for changes and come back if it does change etc.." answer.

    what's your thoughts on all of this?
  • TereB
    TereB Member Posts: 286 Member
    #4
    ShutterBug77 said:

    okay I received my Ultrasound results yesterday and it looks good!..my lymph node was only 6mm, dr said no need for a biopsy and it is swollen due to a virus of some sort but he did tell me not to ignore it, he said to check it every once in a while and if it changes in size or if i get swollen nodes in my armpits or groin area to come back for further testing. But he also said that if I'm getting sick a lot to come back and he'll get a surgeon to remove the lymph node to find out what virus it is so I can be treated.

    Well I'm fine now, not sick and hopefully I won't have to go through this again! and my lymph node stays the same..he also told me that my node may never go back down to normal size usually from scarring.

    I walked out of the office with some sort of relief but not completely relieved..probably because I was hoping I would get a "this is what it is" not a "probably a virus but keep an eye on it for changes and come back if it does change etc.." answer.

    what's your thoughts on all of this?

    Hey ShutterBug, I'm glad you already received results from your ultrasound. If you want to have complete relief and you are not satisfied with what your doctor told you, seek a second opinion, see an ENT doctor, it may be nothing serious but you'll have peace of mind. If it is only a virus, doesn't the doctor plan to treat it?
    All the best,
    TereB
  • ShutterBug77
    ShutterBug77 Member Posts: 3
    #5
    TereB said:

    Hey ShutterBug, I'm glad you already received results from your ultrasound. If you want to have complete relief and you are not satisfied with what your doctor told you, seek a second opinion, see an ENT doctor, it may be nothing serious but you'll have peace of mind. If it is only a virus, doesn't the doctor plan to treat it?
    All the best,
    TereB

    the doctor told me there is no way of treating it if it is a virus because there are so many different viruses that it's impossible to test which one I have. He did say he has no problem doing a biopsy on it, I just give him the word. I may take this approach if it worries me sick or if I am constantly getting ill from this virus, I guess removing the node and examining it will determine what virus it is or if it is something else.

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